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Friday, July 26, 2013

If Emily Post wrote a book on blogging etiquette, what would be the dos and don'ts? This week the YA Author Club sponsors try to put into words the common sense rules that allow bloggers to show respect to one another/fans/friends/followers while keeping their posts relevant and edgy. For me, this topic boils down to the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Simply put, I don't say anything to or about anyone that I wouldn't want said to or about me. I know there is a world of reality TV junkies (my daughter) who love to watch family/friend drama as it unfolds before their eyes, but I go out of my way to avoid drama/conflict/etc. It is not because I can't handle it or because I'm afraid of people and their negative reactions. It is because I don't think it is necessary. I'm much more at ease in a world where people support one another... build each other up rather than put each other down. Helping the person next to us to get up (in the real world or the virtual world) makes all of us better people and strengthens our humanity. It's in that spirit that I write all of my blogs and my reviews. Now, that does not mean that I won't speak my opinion periodically, but even then, I remain respectful and stick to supportable facts. It does mean, however, that I will not review a book that I would rate with anything less than four stars, meaning that I either loved the book or respect the author's writing, character building, story-line, etc. There will never be one false or inaccurate statement within my reviews. From there, others can decide if the book is right for you.The final recommendation I have for blogging Dos and Don'ts is to follow back when a fellow blogger/author follows/fans/friends you. It goes a long way toward opening the virtual lines of communication. It's comparable to saying 'Hi!' to a passerby who has just offered you a salutation. There are those who think they can't follow a site they don't know or 100% support because they are afraid of what others will think. I don't think that long or hard about it. If someone wants or needs a fan/friend/follow/LIKE, I'm willing to give it to them without over thinking it or without acting as though I'm signing my life away. The worst case scenario is that later (after the person has committed some horrendous crime) you can un-fan/un-follow/ un-friend/un-LIKE the person/site.Take a few minutes to see what my fellow sponsors have to say about blogging etiquette.

About Me

She lives in Texas with her husband, their nineteen-year-old
daughter, and nine-year-old son. Besides being blessed with a supportive
family, she counts her career as an administrator and registered nurse in
not-for-profit hospitals among her most fulfilling accomplishments.

My Goodreads Book Shelf

Honestly, Emily's story is a hard one to write, but it is one that must be told. Her life is one worth reading about and learning from in spite of the atrocities carried out against her and the people she loves and no matter how gut-wren...

I'm excited to reveal that I've written the first book, Left, in a new series, Still Standing.
Left
is not a book I'd planned to write. It's a story that found me and would not let me go until it was done. In fact, I was near...

Everlasting by Alyson Noel.The final book of The Immortals Series is the perfect ending to a series filled with love, hate, romance, passion, regret, and the effects (positive and negative) of karma.
We've known for a while that Ever, ...

Let me start the review of Grave Bound by saying this book is an adult contemporary written for audiences 18+. The genre is solid without even a hint of paranormal, fantasy, or Christian.
There were two reasons for me to make a change ...

If healing a dying person could kill you, would you do it? That is the question Dr. Allison La Crosse must ask herself every time she gives in to her compulsion to save people who are near death. By saving them, she agrees to take on the...

Ella and Micha... could two young people be more messed up yet compliment each other more perfectly? I think not.
Jessica Sorensen has a rare talent when it comes to building sexual tension between characters, and The Secret of Ella an...

If healing a dying person could kill you, would you do it? That is the question Dr. Allison La Crosse must ask herself every time she gives in to her compulsion to save people who are near death. By saving them, she agrees to take on the...

Colleen Houck has done an incredible job of maintaining The Tiger Saga's excitement, adventure, tenderness, and passion with Tiger's Destiny. I've said before that this is one of my all-time favorite series, and with its final book, tha...

The Immortal Rules is one of those books that takes you - first - by surprise and - second - for the ride of your life. It is anything but another vampire book. It's a romance that leaves you wanting more... hoping for more.
Equally am...

I'm embarrassed to say that I purposefully avoided Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) for a long while. I'm not a fan of the whole Cinderella story being told and retold. Mistake. Big mistake. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) is so deep and so uni...

Insurgent is one of those books that messes with your psyche and makes you question every character, their motives, and their actions. Veronica Roth is so talented that those who betray Tris might well have betrayed me because the acts f...

Divergent is one of those stories that pulls you in and never lets you go. Veronica Roth's talent is unquestionable. She begins this story with a scrawny and weak girl and ends with a formidable and powerful woman. This is not easily acc...

Clary, Jace, and Simon are back and better than ever in City of Lost Souls. Sebastian does a great job at replacing Valentine and manipulating Jace...much to Clary's dismay. Clary is as headstrong and committed as she's ever been...muc...

I can say with absolute certainty that Enemies of the Cross is my favorite book of The Warrior Series. Yes, I do like it more than Warriors of the Cross and Guardians of the Cross. Within it, I've ratcheted up the excitement to a point...

Tiger's Voyage is another wonderful book within one of my favorite series to date. Colleen Houck is a phenomenal author who has done a great job writing a story filled with heart-squeezing romance, unbelievably believable fantasy world...

Tiger's Quest (The Tiger Saga #2) had so many parts to it that I literally felt as if I'd read three seperate books once it was over...all equally amazing. I said with Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1) that Colleen Houck had instantanee...

This is an AMAZING... PHENOMENAL... WONDERFUL series, and it has instantly shot to the top of my personal all-time favorite series list. I should mention that I have three series tied for the top spot honors, meaning I could never choos...

Torment is a strong follow-up to Fallen. In it, we are reunited with our favorite characters (Luce, Daniel, and Cameron) and are introduced to several new ones (Miles and Shelby), who are memorable enough for us to long to see - much - ...

WHAT A FINALE!! Really...I'm not sure it could have been any better!
I loved the way E.L. James began Fifty Shades Freed. Instead of walking us through the 'same old, same old'. She moved us ahead and let us relive some of the not ...

As much as I loved Fifty Shades of Grey, this book is where the series hooks you. We begin not only seeing but also becoming angry over every childhood tragedy behind the darkness plaguing Ana's beloved Christian. Believe me, it doesn'...

Fifty Shades of Grey should absolutely positively NOT to be judged by its c...(uh. um.) genre. If you do, you will miss out on one of the best series and the most endearing, interesting, polarizing, and passionate characters I've ever ...

This novella is more about Ash and Puck's relationship than anything. Making it all the more special is the fact that it is told by Puck and his point of view. Summer's Crossing gave us a glimpse into Puck's mind and made him even more...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Iron Fey Series is a great series. The Iron Knight does not disappoint when it comes to action (especially the action), adventure, and love.
No longer abstract or vague, 'the end of th...

The Iron Fey Series is the kind of series I love, and The Iron Queen is an amazing read. Believe it or not, this series gets better and better with each tender moment...each dangerous adventure...each phenomenal book. I'm sure some par...

My love for this series was sealed with this book. I adored everything about it. The love triangle is so complicated that I can't blame Meghan for falling for two wonderful people. Both guys are completely unique and endearing. Princ...

Let me start off by saying The Iron King is a wonderfully written book, and Julie Kagawa has created a great new world within it. It took me a little longer than usual to really get into it, but that was about me and not the book or the...

My biggest problem with Forever by Maggie Stiefvater is the fact that there's not a fourth book in the series (at least, not yet).
With Shiver and Linger, I enjoyed reading about Grace and Sam...the evolution of their relationship, lov...

Linger is proof that the second book in a series can be better than the first. A fact I never would have believed after finishing Shiver. When I read Maggie Stiefvater's writing, I'm amazed at the way she describes the tiniest things.....

There are many things to keep you interested while you are reading Shiver.
First, you are constantly reminded of the temperature. By the end of the book, you are conditioned to need that 'clue' to help you know if the chapter is goin...

This powerful book should come with a warning: May cause depression
Somehow, Suzanne Collins described Katniss' unbearably bleak situation from the beginning of Mockingjay until the end in such a manner that I began feeling sad myself....

Catching Fire is a phenomenal follow-up to The Hunger Games. Now that it's finished, I feel like I'm suffering from a strange compulsion...one pushing me to read Mockingjay as soon as possible in order to find out what happens to people...

The Hunger Games is one of those timeless books that will stay with you forever. In some ways, it is reminiscent of The Lottery combined with a modern-day reality show similar to Survivor. It's a talented author who can describe starvati...

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) is a fantastic follow-up to the Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1). Of course, I would expect nothing more from Cassandra Clare. What a phenomenal author, writer, and story-teller.
T...

Everything you loved about Warriors of the Cross becomes deeper embedded and more fully developed within each action-packed page, making Guardians of the Cross an exciting continuation.
Moving to the next level, relationships evolve...

I'll be honest...I can't give an real review on this or any of the other Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. What I can tell you is my seven year old son LOVES the books from this series enough to forego Wii, Xbox, baseball practice, and touch ...

I just finished reading (okay...listening to) Destined (House of Night #9) by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast. It reminded me of the time in my life when I was naïve enough to think good always prevails…love was all it took…and anything was pos...

How can such a benign thing as a book of white pages filled with black words – ones that mean nothing when uttered separately – become so powerful? DO NOT GO GENTLE… DO NOT GO GENTLE… DO NOT GO GENTLE. The words resonate in my mind, re...

Silence, a great third book in a series with a long, long future. If you are a fan of Hush, Hush and Crescendo (and let's just face it...Patch), the only disappointment you will experience is the fact that the book ends. I know this be...

Even though Beelzebub Girl & the Ancient Legends Series is brimming with vampires, fallen angels, and demons, Jayde Scott continues to do a great job at creating and MAINTAINING an original story-line that will keep readers coming back a...